$1.5M on class supplies? Scratch that

Officials apologize for typo meant to read $150K

LODI - Lodi Unified School District officials are apologizing to the public for a typographical error that could have led some to believe that trustees approved a near $1.5 million increase to school site budgets when they meant to approve $150,000.

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By Keith Reid

recordnet.com

By Keith Reid

Posted Aug. 28, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By Keith Reid

Posted Aug. 28, 2013 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

LODI - Lodi Unified School District officials are apologizing to the public for a typographical error that could have led some to believe that trustees approved a near $1.5 million increase to school site budgets when they meant to approve $150,000.

In an item at an Aug. 20 meeting in which trustees expressed excitement to help restore cuts to school site budgets and potentially help relieve teachers who choose to spend their own money on classroom supplies, they unanimously approved a 10 percent budget increase at all school sites. The increase, which is based on student attendance figures, was also reported as a $1.5 million increase.

A 10 percent increase equates to just less than $150,000, not the $1,497,239 that was approved.

When asked about the $1.5 million, which would mean an average of $30,000 for each of the distinct's 50 schools, Superintendent Cathy Nichols-Washer acknowledged that the trustees approved a typo, and that the item would be corrected at next Tuesday's meeting.

"There was a decimal that was missing. It was an error that we will correct, and we do apologize," Nichols-Washer said. "The district would have never spent ($1.5 million)."

Board President Ralph Womack called the error an "honest mistake" and something that he and his colleagues didn't catch because they had been provided information not included on the district's public report. He said he knew beforehand that the approval would mean increasing school site funding from $1.5 million annually to about $1.65 million, an increase of $150,000.

"We approved 10 percent to restore the cuts," Womack said. "Probably going forward we'll put more of the information we had (for the public). It was nothing more than an honest error, and we have the option to go back in and correct the error."

With any confusion sorted out, the exact amount per school has yet to be determined as it will be based on an upcoming per student count and site budget funding formulas based on grade, Associate Superintendent Tim Hern said.

Some schools have estimated their allotment, such as $16,000 at the 2,000-student Tokay High. A smaller school such as Washington Elementary with fewer than 500 students will see about $1,500.

The intent of the increased funding infusion is to help ease the strain on schools, and many teachers who routinely spend hundreds of dollars out of their own pockets to make sure they have the supplies and technology they need to teach effectively.

Teachers spent an average of $485 out of their own pockets to pay for their classroom school supplies and instructional materials in 2012-13, according to the National School Supply and Equipment Association.

"Over the last five years, we've had to reduce those budgets, and supplies have been minimal down to having to ration paper," Hern said. "This is intended to help bring that back up to where it was prior."

It won't be back entirely. Cuts to school site budgets are down 19 percent over the past five years, school officials said. However, the increase comes at a time when few districts are ready to start restoring similar cuts. Lincoln Unified officials said there are no plans to increase site budgets. There are no reported site budget increases in Stockton Unified, either.

How each Lodi Unified school spends the money in is up to the site.

At Tokay, the increased budget will likely be spent to help labs, shops, and art classes purchase "consumable materials," Principal Erik Sandstrom said, noting that the district once charged a student fee for such classes. A law that disallows those types of fees adds up to about $60,000 a year the school must scrape to find every year.

"So, off the top of my head, I'd say any site budget increase would go toward those types of materials," Sandstrom said.

Washington has a supply room stocked with paper, pencils, flashcards and a variety of other supplies. On Monday, the shelves and cabinets were filled.

"I use an open-cabinet policy, so teachers usually can get what they need when they need it," said Washington Principal Dan Faith, adding that he will likely spend the estimated $1,500 his school gets on copy paper for class handouts.

"And, hopefully we can add some of the other things like markers and highlighters that teachers like to have in the class," he said.